Special points of interest:

Speed Networking & Main Street Presentation

Number of referrals.

Business Monthly

September 2019

The Chamber is continuously striving to meet the changing needs of our membership. We are here

to help every business and our community flourish. The Chamber is an effective, collaborative and

influential community partner. Our mission is to “Promote and develop a healthy and positive

business climate to improve the quality of life in the Albert Lea Freeborn County area.” Two of the

Albert Lea Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce goals this year were adding two new

committees: The Main Street program and a Chamber Concierge program.

The Albert Lea Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and the City of Albert Lea have been

working together on the Main Street Program. The Chamber is also partnering with ALEDA in

preparation for becoming a Designated Main Street Community. This program is based on 4 pillars;

Economic Vitality, Organization, Design and Promotion. The Historic Preservation Commission

(HPC) is part of the Design/Historic committee for Main Street while The CVB is involved with the

Promotion committee. The Main Street program focuses on our downtown area creating vibrancy,

social gathering areas, events, art, a concentration on retail, historic design of buildings as well as

consistency of esthetics in the downtown. This program is to bring new businesses to Albert Lea and

fill empty store fronts. On Monday, September 23rd, Rethos (formerly Preservation Alliance of

Minnesota) will be at The Outlet from 5pm-7pm presenting on the Main Street program and

answering questions. Anyone interested in learning about or getting involved with the Main Street

program is welcome to attend. Albert Lea Main Street will help to promote and build our

community in Albert Lea!

Keep watching for information on the Chamber Concierge! This program will be great for

newcomers, businesses and community!

The Chamber continues to grow with many new businesses! Some of you have been with the

Chamber for many years and some for a short few. No matter how long, we want to make sure you

know we are here for you. If you have an event going on, please contact the Chamber so we can

help publicize it. Running an ad on your Facebook page? Send it to us so we can share it on the

Chamber Facebook page. Remember to use your Chamber benefits and get involved! We want

you to be involved in whichever way you can with the Chamber including serving on a Chamber

committee. These committees include the Agriculture committee, Ambassadors Committee,

Business Education Collaborative Committee, Governmental Affairs Committee, Green Initiative

Committee, Main Street Committees; Design, Promotion, Organization & Economic Vitality, and

Worksite Wellness committee. Give us a call today and let us know which committee you want to

serve on. We will get you connected so you can network with other businesses being a part of a

Chamber Committee!

We are still taking nominations for Business of the Year. Be sure to send us your nomination for

small, medium and large business of the year by going to our website and filling out the form, drop it

off or email it to the Chamber!

Message from Executive Director, Rhonda Jordal

The purpose of a newsletter is to provide specialized information to a targeted audience. Newsletters can be a great way to market your product or service, and also create credibility and build your organization’s identity among peers, members, employees, or vendors.

First, determine the audience of the newsletter. This could be anyone who might benefit from the information it contains, for example, employees or people

interested in purchasing a product or requesting your service.

You can compile a mailing list from business reply cards, customer information sheets, Business cards collected at trade shows, or membership lists. You might consider purchasing a mailing list from a company.

If you explore the Project Gallery, you will find many publications that match the style of your newsletter.

Next, establish how much time and money you can spend on your newsletter. These factors will help determine how frequently you publish the newsletter and its

page 2

It’s back to school for students of all ages as they hone their skills for productive working careers. Rest assured, the Minnesota Chamber network has a keen interest in ensuring students are prepared for jobs in our changing economy.

The Center for Workforce Solutions was launched in 2018 with a goal of tackling Minnesota’s workforce shortage. Through leadership, collaboration and key partnerships, it offers programs to confront the state’s worker shortage, helping the state’s economy to change and grow.

Business Education Networks is among our hallmark programs – a proactive, data-driven approach to preserve and grow the local economy led by local chambers across the state. Informed by local employers and fueled by the engagement and partnership of students and educators, BEN programs connect employers with middle, high school and college students to make them aware of and prepare them for career opportunities in their own region. Each BEN program is locally created and distinctly designed to address workforce needs within their community.

Our local chamber partnerships extend across the state with programs thriving in Brainerd, Burnsville, Lakeville, Mankato, Marshall, Metro North, New Ulm, Rochester, Owatonna, St. Cloud, TwinWest, Waconia, White Bear, Winona and Willmar.

Our efforts to grow all our private-sector workforce initiatives were bolstered this summer with the hiring of Deb McMillan as director of the Center for Workforce Solutions. She can be reached at dmcmillan@mnchamber.com.

Business Education Networks offer a multipronged approach to address the worker shortage. Here are some examples of local programs:

• CEO in the classroom: Business owners talk with eighth-graders about what jobs are like at their companies and the classes students should take in order to be ready for certain jobs.

• Career expos: Local employers host high school students in a trade show-like environment, allowing them to explore jobs and careers that are available in their communities.

• Teacher in the workplace: High school teachers experience training and exposure to specific industries by working at companies in those industries for a period during the summer. They use what they have learned to develop or revise curriculum to reflect the needs of the economy.

• Career academies. Cohorts of high school juniors are provided mentoring, specialized dual-credit coursework for college, communications and “soft skills” preparation and development. Employers participate in multiple aspects of this program. Following the first year of the two-year program, qualified students are provided internships with local companies. After the second year, students are offered jobs with local employers, or are ready to begin college with credits in the bank.

Since 2016, our Business Education Networks have shown 8,000-plus students real-world experience in their communities. We have worked with 15 high school teachers, helping to make their curriculum reflect fast-changing skills and practices used in the workplace. We have connected with more than 200 employers in the vast Minnesota Chamber network, building a talented workforce now that will help them continue to thrive in their communities.

We look forward to expanding programs like Business Education Networks that offer tangible, flexible solutions at the local level to address our workforce needs for today and tomorrow.

Chamber network steps up private-sector efforts on workforce development By Doug Loon

One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies and reports.

While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.

A great way to add useful content to this newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.

You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.

Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Word offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.

Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web

site. Microsoft Word offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it. A great way to add useful content to this newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.

NEWSLETTER TITLE Page 2

Business Monthly

Business Monthly Page 3

Ambassador’s Visits

Page 5 Business Monthly

Albert Lea Family Y

Cinema Entertainment Corp.

Master Plumbing LLC

Southeast MN Workforce

Development, Inc.

Advanced Family Dental

Shoe Sensation Inc

Thank You The following members renewed their memberships in August:

The INTERCHANGE Wine &

Coffee Bistro

Fountain Lake Pointe Condo Assn

EZ Seal

Committee Updates CHAMBER BOARD – met on Aug 28. Speed Networking flyer went out, hoping for 50 to sign up. Annual

meeting is October 3rd

at Wedgewood Cove. The speaker is Mike Krutzke. The Chamber is moving to a new

location in October.

AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE- met on August 22. Starting to prepare for the 3rd

Grade Farm Tours.

AMBASSADORS - Didn’t meet the month of August.

GREEN COMMITTEE – Didn’t meet the month of August.

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE met on Aug. 8. Discussion took place on housing being the next

event. There is a new Rain Garden at Shell Rock River Watershed District office on S St Mary Ave. Anyone

can apply to have a rain garden at their home. 75% is reimbursed by the Watershed up to $2500. The SRRWD

newsletter has great information about the rain gardens.

WORKSITE WELLNESS COMMITTEE – met on Aug 16. Ellen was in Nashville to accept an award from the

2019 Connectivity Summit on Rural Aging. Ellen has delivered most of the materials to community

organizations and some worksites. Encourage them to take the test and also share the information with family

members and friends to take the test. The link is only good thru Aug. 31st so it is imperative for Albert Lea

residents to register as soon as possible – we need 350 participants for a valid summary.

BUSINESS EDUCATION COLLABORATIVE COMMITTEE – The Chamber Business Education

Collaborative (CBEC) met on Friday, August 2, 2019 at the 8:30 in the Chamber offices. The group welcomed

Shawn Cheesman from Lou-Rich to the team. Updates are in the works on the ALEDA webpage

(www.growalbertlea.com) to improve the content and make it easier to navigate. The CBEC is working on

several topics for upcoming quarterly workshops including: Business Succession, E-Commerce and Website

Revitalization. Another topic we are exploring is the need for some internal leadership training within our local

businesses. Will look at surveying local businesses, identifying specific needs and researching resources. The

CBEC meets monthly at the Chamber office.

Referrals

We had 108

referrals during

the month of

August.

Business Monthly Page 6

Welcome to our New Chamber Members

KCQ, Inc., SEP

The mission of KCQ, Inc. is advocacy for

individuals who have disabilities and to provide the

necessary services for potential for integration in the

community.

Business Monthly

Page 7

The 33rd Annual Big Island Rendezvous and Festival Albert Lea, Minnesota on October 5-6, 2019.

This event was declared one of the “Top 100 Festivals in North America” by the American Bus Association in

Washington, DC.

Over 1,000 re-enactors from Canada and the United States create a 45 acre community that celebrates life

from 1670 to 1870 in early America. There will be woodland Indian camps as well as a PIONEER TOWN

including a chuck wagon, stagecoach, jail and a gold panning demo.

A live round cannon fires three times each day by the New Ulm Battery witnessed by President Lincoln.

Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah are also in attendance.

Blacksmiths, woodworkers, candle makers, clothiers, silversmiths, potters and other merchants sell their wares

during both days of the festival.

Sustenance options available will be smoked bbq ribs, gyro sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, pork chops

on a stick, kettle korn, and funnel cakes as well as Indian Tacos and fry bread.

Demonstrations of colonial crafts, Native American skills and pioneer skills are showcased throughout the

festival.

For discount tickets and more information call 1.800.658.2526 or email pvining@smig.net and keep the first

Saturday and Sunday in October open to experience “life in another century”.

October 5-6, 2019 - Opens at 9 a.m. each day

Stage Entertainment

Alan Munde Trio

Roe Family Singers

Howard Rains & Tricia Spencer

Wild Goose Chase Cloggers – (Sun only)

Sister Tree

Strangebyrds

DD & Rosco

Kimmel/Coyle

ALBERT LEA FREEBORN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 1725 West Main Street Albert Lea, MN 56007

Phone: (507) 373-3938

Fax: (507) 373-0344 www.albertlea.org

https://www.facebook.com/alfcchamber/

Chamber Staff Rhonda Jordal Liz Johnson Executive Director Administrative Assistant director@albertlea.org liz@albertlea.org

Geri Jensen Event & Social Media Coordinator geri@albertlea.org

Patricia Dahl, Board Chair Mayo Clinic Health System

Albert Lea and Austin

373-2384

George Gonzalez, 1st Chair

Dave Syverson Auto

373-1438

Kim Nelson, Past Chair Riverland Community College 433-0607 Catherine Buboltz Thorne Crest Senior Living Community 373-2311

Board of Directors

Angie Eggum Edward Jones 373-2000 Mike Chandler Renewable Energy Group, Inc. 507-448-0124 Kathy Sabinish Dave’s Phone Booth/Frames-R-Us 377-0848

Angie Kolker Freeborn-Mower Cooperatives Services 373-6421 Dr. Mike Funk Albert Lea Area Schools 379-4802 Beau Hartman Hartman Law Office 507-200-0301 Kevin Miland Mrs. Gerry’s 373-6384

Page 9 Business Monthly